Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving to all our US Customer and Carrier Partners!!

We hope you have a great long weekend! We would like to take this time to thank each and every one of you for your business and support, and we look forward to continuing long term business relationships!

~~ Have a great turkey day!! ~~

In the Running!

Recently, UWC applied for an award program offered by the international accounting firm, Deloitte & Touche. The program, Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies, also runs in several European Countries, Asia, and Mexico. The Canadian division of the program was established back in 1993, and is recognized as one of the country’s leading business award program. The Best Managed designation symbolizes Canadian corporate success, and spotlights companies who are focused on their core vision, creating stakeholder value, and excelling in the global economy. The program continues to raise the profile of Canadian companies that have outperformed their competitors, created thousands of jobs, achieved sustainable growth, and excelled both at home and abroad. Check out the Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies website to discover more on the program!

Each year, hundreds of entrepreneurial companies compete for this designation in a rigorous and independent process that evaluates the quality of their management abilities and practices. The program is made even more unique because it focuses on Canadian owned and managed companies, recognizes overall business performance and sustained growth, recognizes efforts of an entire organization, and does more than measure just financial performance.

In the beginning of November, Deloitte & Touche hosted an awards ceremony for the finalists for British Columbia. At that time, UWC was selected as of the 12 finalists from BC! We will now go on to be evaluated across Canada in the hopes of being selected as of the 50 best.

A great accomplishment for us here at UWC…. Recognizing our entire company and what we have accomplished in 8 years of business. It stands as a tribute to our commitment to business excellence and our ongoing efforts of continual improvement.

A great stride in driving the road ahead!!!!

2007 or Newer? You're In... 2006 and Older? You're Out!

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have announced that trucks older than 2006 will be banned from entry to port terminals beginning in January 2012. Back in January 2010, ports banned trucks with 1993 or older engines. This latest step, which is part of the Clean Trucks Program introduced in October 2008, is the last phase in the planned progression to disallow older trucks into the ports.

Trucks will be banned entry into these port terminals in January if they do not meet the 2007 Federal Clean Truck Emission Standard. Most drayage trucks that currently enter these ports have already been converted to newer, cleaner trucks. This also means that they are no longer paying a clean truck container fee. According to sources, of the more than 10,000 trucks that are registered to do business in the Los Angeles and Long Beach port complexes, less than 3% are still paying the fee because they haven’t converted their trucks.

So, what does the conversion to newer, cleaner trucks mean? It has reduced diesel particulate matter from truck-related pollution by more than 80%. The industry is also replacing vehicles much sooner than expected, which has resulted in reductions in air pollution that are 2 years ahead of schedule.

This Program is just one in a series of California Air Resource Board initiatives to reduce diesel particulate pollution. For Drayage trucks, there are many solutions available in order to meet compliance, both long term and short term. The short term solutions do not meet the requirements of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, so it is critical for drayage truck owners to be aware and fully understand their options. Visit the CARB Drayage webpage for more information. Also, let’s not forget about the numerous TRU (reefer) regulations that are now in place in California. Visit the CARB TRU webpage for more information on these regulations and how to become compliant. Remember, the rules are for ANY truck operating in California!!!

As always, if you need assistance in making sense of the regulations and facilitating compliance, give our carrier relations department a call!!!

What can compliance do for you? Read our Get TWIC'd and Compliant Now post to find out!

References:
So. Calif. Ports to Ban Trucks Older Than Model Year 2006. Transport Topics. http://www.ttnews.com/articles/petemplate.aspx?storyid=28029. Accessed on 11/10/2011.

Revisiting.... Refrigeration!!!

Trailer refrigeration is one of, if not, the most important factor in ensuring the delivery success of fresh fruits and vegetables. The object of trailer refrigeration is to prolong storage and shelf life, and to maintain quality by lowering the commodity temperature so that respiration, metabolic deterioration, and decay are slowed down. One of the most important things to remember is that the function of a trailer’s refrigeration unit is to maintain the temperature of the commodity, not to lower the temperature; therefore, pre-cooling of fruits and vegetables prior to shipping is essential.

So now, let’s look at some of the key factors in trailer refrigeration.

Methods of refrigeration

1. Mechanical refrigeration: this operates by absorbing heat at one point and dispensing it at another. This is accomplished by circulating a refrigerant, most commonly Freon, between two points.

2. Ice: in addition to mechanical refrigeration, ice is sometimes used to help maintain humidity inside the trailer. The main drawbacks for ice are its weight which cuts down the allowable product weight, the arranging of replenishing ice while in transit, and the requirement of water-resistant shipping containers. Recommended procedure for top icing is to apply the crushed ice on top of the load in 3 length-wise windrows. The thermostat should be set to 35F to allow the ice to melt steadily during the trip; a colder setting may crust or freeze the ice and block air circulation, which then affects trailer air circulation and causes heat to build up in the interior of the load.

Air Circulation

Air circulation is critical to ensure uniform temperatures throughout the load. There are two methods of circulating air in refrigerated trailers:

1. Top Air Delivery: This is the most common design in trailers. Ceiling ducts are used to direct the air from the blower to the rear of the trailer. Load patterns that provide unblocked air channels throughout the load to allow the air to return to the blower intake are required. Load locks must also be used to prevent the load from shifting or toppling backwards and blocking air circulation between the load and the rear doors. Recessed groove floors and inverted-rib sidewalls are also designed to increase the amount of air that can be circulated through the load. Finally, bulkheads are designed so they do not block the air returning to the blower.

2. Bottom Forced-Air Delivery: In this method, air is forced under and up through the load. The air returns to the lower over the top of the load and through the top of the bulkhead.

Humidity

Most fruits and vegetables require high relative humidity to prevent dehydration and to keep them looking fresh and crisp. Some moisture loss during transit has to be accepted, but it must always be minimized, by the following procedures:

1. Using top or packing ice where possible.

2. Thorough pre-cooling to reduce the temperature difference between the product and the surrounding air.

3. Keeping the refrigeration unit’s coil only a few degrees colder than the desired transit temperature.

4. Waxing or using semi-permeable wraps to reduce evaporation.

Do you have expertise in trailer refrigeration? Please share! Also have a look at some of our numerous posts that discuss the popular topics of temperature, loading/load compatibility, and how a refrigeration unit works!!!!

References:
Transportation. RBCS Handbooks. http://rbcs.com/HandbookArticles/transpor.htm. Accessed on Nov 3, 2011.

And the Winners Are.....

Yesterday, UWC had our 2nd Annual Pumpkin Carving Contests. Teams of 3 or 4 were randomly selected, and 8 pumpkins in total were carved! At the end of the day, a vote was taken. Below, the pumpkin of the winning team, yoU Will Cry:

Great pumpkin team, and great name too!!!! Head over to our facebook page to see all 8 great pumpkins!!! Hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween!